


Stray

by senashenta



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Angst, Bunny Ears, Cat Ears, Cat/Human Hybrids, F/M, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Non-Human Humanoid Society, dubcon, nekomimi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-04
Updated: 2015-06-04
Packaged: 2018-04-02 22:29:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4076125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/senashenta/pseuds/senashenta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hiccup is a house cat, a Viking cat with a pedigree a mile long--and an owner who doesn't appreciate him for who and what he is. Or maybe it's more that Dagur appreciates him TOO MUCH. The only things that keep him going are Mr. Oswald's kindness and Dagur's other cat, a purebred Night Fury named Toothless who dotes on Hiccup, protects him the best he can, and cleans him up after the particularly tough nights.</p>
<p>But things just keep getting worse and worse, and finally Toothless can't take it anymore; so he gives his best friend a shove out the door, forcefully freeing him from the abuse--but also pushing him away from the only home he's ever really known--and right into the life of a stray. And that is when he meets a scruffy white haired mixbreed named Jack, who seems determined to show him that living life on his own terms isn't just new and different--it's positively amazing!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stray

**Author's Note:**

> Because I can never have enough projects, obviously. >>;

**STRAY  
Chapter 1  
By Senashenta**

Hiccup was a house cat; he had been one for most of his life. 

Before that, he had lived with his mother and father and several other cats and kittens at the Berk Cattery–he was a Viking Cat, sported auburn hair and fur, freckles and a rather prestigious pedigree–but when he was old enough, he had been sold to his current owner, and hadn’t seen his birth family since. It probably sounded sad, to be separated from them like that, but Hiccup didn’t see it that way. It was the typical way things went for cats like him.

Now, he lived in his Master’s home, which he shared with three other cats; Whisper, who was black, next thing to completely silent and skulked around at night, hiding during the daylight hours, and Stinger, who was dark reddish-brown, aggressive and almost always just downright mean. They were the four-legged kind of cats, though, mostly around to keep the estate free of rodents–and no one could deny that they were good at their job.

The third cat that lived there was a Felis, like Hiccup. His name was Toothless and he had black hair and fur and green eyes, a bit missing from the end of his tail. Toothless was mute, in that he didn’t speak the human words as Hiccup could, but he made himself perfectly understood with the cat language–growls, hisses, purrs and chirps. He was outgoing, cheerful, playful and boisterous… but he didn’t like their Master very much, and vice versa. He became sullen whenever Master was around, glaring and turning his back rudely.

Master had really only purchased Toothless because he was a rare breed–a Night Fury. Owning one of Toothless’ kind was a sort of status symbol, since there were so few of them in the world. But it became obvious right from the day Toothless had arrived that they didn’t get along. (Toothless hated Whisper and Stinger, too.) He _was_ very fond of Hiccup, though, and had taken to Master’s father, Mr. Oswald, as well.

Mr. Oswald was a good man. He was older, with a long beard and was always smiling and laughing. He treated Hiccup and Toothless kindly, bringing them treats and toys whenever he could, and helping Hiccup learn how to read some when he had shown interest. He was also the one who had given them a little set of shelves to keep their possessions on; picture books, toys and the few articles of clothing they owned. (Toothless could barely ever be wrangled into clothes of any kind, while Hiccup was almost always wearing at least a long shirt or a pair of pants, something to keep him “decent.”) Mr. Oswald looked at them as more than just cats, almost like they were real people to him.

Their Master never treated them as nicely as that, and the only things he had ever given them were their collars–expensive foreign leather and each sporting a shiny tag with their names–red for Hiccup and green for Toothless. Like with clothing, Toothless rejected his. It proved impossible to keep it on him, and so it was eventually dropped on the shelves to collect dust. Hiccup wore his collar more because he was afraid of what Master would do if he didn’t than out of any real liking for the bauble.

A little less than a year after receiving his collar, Hiccup was also gifted with a set of bracelets–or rather, wrist cuffs. They were leather as well, waterproof, matched his collar, and each one sported a loop of thick stainless steel. The metal rungs and heavy straps that clipped to his cuffs were located in Master’s bedroom–they bound him, restricting his movement while Master played. Hiccup was forbidden to take the cuffs off, no matter what.

Master’s name was Dagur–but they were never to call him that–and he was a cruel man.

Hiccup didn’t think he always necessarily realized his cruelty, though. Sometimes it seemed as if Master truly thought he was being kind, not understanding how hurtful his actions actually were. He seemed to feel a genuine connection between himself and Hiccup, and believed that Hiccup felt the same, though it wasn’t true in the least. Hiccup experienced fright in Master’s presence; sadness and disgust. Occasionally a twisted sense of gratitude. But never love. Never camaraderie. _That_ he got from Toothless and Mr. Oswald.

Other times, it was obvious that Master was completely aware of the damage he was doing, how much he was hurting Hiccup in particular. Times when he yanked on Hiccup’s hair or grabbed him harshly, times when he dragged him to the bedroom, where he was more often than not harsh and rough, leaving Hiccup whimpering and covered in bruises, scratches and bite marks that would take days to heal afterward. He rarely cried, though–not anymore. He was becoming more and more used to the pain–the humiliation–as time went on.

It wasn’t unheard of for a person to use their Felis for sex. They had originally been created and bred for that exact reason, after all, as a kind of living fetish. But nowadays it was more rare, generally looked down upon–and never spoken of or admitted to, outside of certain circles.

Master hadn’t started out looking at Hiccup that way. When he had been a kitten, he had simply been a pet and a companion–a birthday gift from Mr. Oswald. Hiccup had been happy with his place in the household, then. But over time Master had begun to change, and before Hiccup knew it he had become a kind of _toy_ instead.

At first it hadn’t been so bad. A curious touch, a light stroke, maybe a tentative kiss. Hiccup hadn’t understood where everything was headed, back then. It wasn’t as if he had been given any information on the subject before he’d left the Cattery. But it had been sort of nice to begin with–and he’d had no idea what it would eventually turn into.

Master had much more of an education when it came to sex, as he went to school and had access to a computer, so he was the one to begin experimenting, to show Hiccup what to do and then urge him to return the favor. The first time he had brought Hiccup off, Hiccup had mewled and arched and closed his eyes tightly, completely overwhelmed by the experience.

Of course, once Hiccup knew what was expected of him, his own pleasure was pushed to the side–less important than Master’s–and Hiccup had been alright with that to begin with. He liked pleasing Master. Master was his friend back then, after all.

It was when Master stopped asking and began _telling_ , _demanding_ , _ordering_ and then, eventually, simply _taking_ , that Hiccup realized what he had slowly become. But by then there was no going back, and so he just accepted his new place in the household without protest.

He had cried a lot, at first, but eventually the tears had stopped coming. He learned to hold his tongue, to swallow the urge to sob. It did him no good, anyway, usually only got him a swat upside the head and a growl to shut up. So even on the bad nights, the particularly painful ones, Hiccup steeled himself and kept quiet. He learned he was stronger than he’d ever realized, when it came to that.

His one comfort was that every morning after a night in Master’s bedroom passed, Toothless was there to curl up with him, to pet his hair and cuddle up with him, to groom him and utter soothing little sounds until he fell into exhausted slumber.

This night had been particularly bad. By the time he was sent on his way in the early hours of the morning, Hiccup was limping and his wrists were raw under the cuffs from him pulling and twisting at the leather restraints.

Toothless met him in the hallway. He had been sitting a few feet down the corridor from Master’s bedroom door, knees pulled up to his chest and his chin resting on them, tail waving and twitching restlessly, ears flat as he attempted not to hear what was going on in the room behind him.

When the door finally opened and Hiccup stumbled out, Toothless perked and scrambled to his feet, then hurried over, expression stricken and giving little, worried, questioning chirps; “?!”

Hiccup gave him a reassuring but half-hearted smile in response.

Together they made their way through the halls, downstairs to the lounge, where an ever-present fire crackled in the hearth; it was a rarely used room and the two of them had built a comfortable nest for themselves, comprised mostly of old pillows and blankets, in front of the fireplace there. When Mr. Oswald realized they had done so, he had begun making a point of keeping the fire burning for them on all but the hottest days of summer.

Now, Hiccup lowered himself down into the bed of pillows and Toothless followed, curling himself around his friend, already purring out soft reassurances and beginning to groom by one of his ears. Hiccup closed his eyes and relaxed into Toothless’ embrace, and a few moments later, when Stinger wandered past and Toothless lifted his head to hiss in the cat’s general direction, he gave a quiet little laugh as well.

“Thanks, bud…”

Toothless was silent, eyes narrowed as he watched Stinger arch his back and then turn to leave the room. Once he was out of sight again, Toothless’ attention returned to Hiccup. He trilled out a rumbling noise and set to work grooming him again, raspy tongue dragging across Hiccup’s hair and ears until Toothless decided he was suitably damp and clean. Then he shuffled around and ducked his head to butt into Hiccup’s chest gently, purring the entire time. 

The vibration was soothing. It radiated inward, down to Hiccup’s core.

Before he realized what was happening, he had drifted off to sleep.

When Hiccup woke up later, it was to Master Dagur’s voice calling out his name from upstairs.

Exhausted as he was, it took him a bit to recognize what it was that had pulled him from his slumber. He huffed out a sleepy noise and curled closer to Toothless, back curving and tail wrapping itself up and over his own hip. Even that little movement made every muscle in his body ache, though, and finally he cracked his eyes open, ears flicking as his name was shouted again, echoing throughout the house.

Beside him, Toothless stirred and began to sit up, stretching languidly and yawning hugely. His own ears swiveled about–then flattened back against his head. Green eyes narrowed at the sound of their Master yelling for Hiccup once more and a low growl rumbled in his throat. He looked sideways at his friend.

Hiccup carefully pushed himself up, flinching when pain flared in his back and hips, then glanced toward the window. It was still dark outside. This meant that only an hour or two at the most had passed since he had left the bedroom.

Master already wanted him back? Hiccup’s stomach twisted itself into knots and vague nausea bit at the back of his throat. This had started happening more and more often as of late–Master deciding so quickly, so soon, that he wanted Hiccup in his bed again. It left Hiccup bone-weary and ragged around the edges. It was too much.

Hiccup was well trained. When his Master called for him, he always responded–and quickly. Now, though, he balked, swallowing against the urge to throw up. His eyes lowered and darted back-and-forth until Toothless made a worried noise. Then the other cat leaned in to lick at one of his ears.

Another shout. Master’s tone was becoming annoyed. Hiccup lifted his gaze–and then finally began climbing to his feet, wincing the entire time. Once he was standing he had to pause, though, trembling and wobbling. Toothless was up in a breath, steadying him on his feet to keep him from falling over and giving concerned warbles the entire time.

There was another moment of hesitation, Hiccup reaching to smooth at his shirt absently–only to remember that he wasn’t wearing it at the moment, it had been left back in Master’s room–and then he shifted, eyes dropping to the floor, and began shuffling away from Toothless and the comfort of their nest by the fire.

Toothless made a distressed noise and tugged at his arm, but Hiccup just smiled in what was (hopefully) a reassuring manner. He lifted one hand to pat against Toothless’, then gently pushed the other cat’s grip from his arm. “It’s okay, Toothless. I’ll be alright.”

It was clear that Toothless didn’t believe him, but he allowed his hand to be pushed away nonetheless. His ears and tail drooped and he rumbled sadly; “…??”

“I’m sure.” Hiccup nodded. “You should go back to sleep, bud.”

But Toothless just shook his head and trailed along behind him as he made his way back up to Master’s quarters. The Fury then watched him disappear inside and took up his regular spot, seated outside on the floor, waiting for Master to finish and for Hiccup to reappear.

Toothless hated this. He understood the concept of mating, even the idea of sex the way that humans thought of it, and he knew that what Hiccup was forced to do wasn’t about either of those. It was about violence and ownership and power. It was terrible. And Toothless could plainly see that Hiccup was coming to the end of his rope, strained and frayed and ready to give up entirely, despite the strong front he attempted to put on.

The black cat was much more world-savvy than his friend. Though he had a unique, rare pedigree, he had come to their Master’s home next thing to wild, unused to human contact or the ins and outs of being a house cat. It had taken a great deal of time and care before he had bonded to Mr. Oswald–and of course, he had never liked Master. Never trusted him.

But Hiccup? There was something about him, beyond even the fact that he was a another Felis. He was calming, gentle and friendly. He made Toothless feel comfortable and at home. Hiccup quickly became his best friend, his rock and his anchor to the world he now lived in–the human world. (Though even Hiccup couldn’t convince him to wear clothes or his collar.)

In any case, Toothless knew much more about the world than Hiccup. Certainly, he had been born and bred in the Dragon Isle Cattery, but after being sold to his first owner, he had managed to get outside, gotten lost–and had spent the next several years living on his own, outside of the comforts of a human home. His wildness came from that time, hunting and hiding, fighting and taking care of himself.

Eventually, he had been found and taken to a shelter, where, after being identified as a Night Fury, he had eventually been returned to the Cattery he had come from–the only one in the world who bred his kind, so it was easy to trace back to. His first owner had come to pick him up, but he had been too feral for her and she had decided she no longer wanted him. A few months later, he had been sold to Master Dagur, who hadn’t cared about his wildness–only about his pedigree.

But his time as a stray had taught him many things, the most important of them being that it was possible to survive, even to _thrive_ , outside of the human world. For a cat like Hiccup, who had never even _been_ outside save for the occasional day playing in the gardens, the prospect of taking care of himself was a daunting one. Toothless knew it was more than just a remote possibility.

So when he saw how badly Master was treating Hiccup, all Toothless could think of was taking the other cat and _leaving_. They could make it on their own, he was sure of it. He could show Hiccup everything he needed to know. They could find a place to live and be happy there.

The problem was that he had no way to communicate that to the Viking.

Toothless had never learned any of the human languages. He simply hadn’t had the time before he had ended up lost on the streets, and since being brought inside again he’d had no interest. He didn’t _want_ to talk with their Master. And though he did _understand_ most of what was said despite his inability to reply in kind, he often feigned ignorance. The only one he never ignored was Hiccup.

Now, though, as he listened to what was going on in Master’s bedroom, the little whimpers and stifled cries of pain from Hiccup, Toothless _decided_ –he would try to get his point across to the other cat, words or no words. 

And maybe, just maybe, it would work this time.


End file.
